Concrete mixing and distributing apparatus



April 7, 1934. F. E. BAGER CONCRETE MIXING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 2?. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor FrEdEn: E. 55175? Y WWW: Hizornef April 17, 1934. F. E. BAGER 1,954,860

CONCRETE MIXING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 27. 19:0 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jv zvewor FIE 5 5m: E. Eager ma fliiornej Illll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Rmm April 17, 1934. F. E. BAGER CONCRETE HIKING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 u 9 w E R I.

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A ril 17, 1934. F. E. BAGER CONCRETE MIXING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 27. 1930 [m emar FFEUEPJ: E Eager" 7 war/@1725 4, flziorne r Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES FFIE CONCRETE llIIXING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Application October 27, 1930, Serial No. 491,496

'1 Claims. (c1. 214-95) This invention relates more particularly to concrete mixing and distributing equipment especially adapted for projects which extend over considerable distances such as road building,

heavy sewer work, sea walls, retaining walls,

docks, piers and drainage work.

Past methods of conveying or distibuting concrete have not been economical in work of this type, due to the extensive use of labor which they entailed. The most practical of these methods, by reason of its large efiective radius, was undoubtedly the tower and chuting system, but its immobility was a serious handicap.

It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide a concrete mixing and distributing equipment in which the advantages of a tower and chuting system of distribution are embodied in a portable structure. To this end the invention resides broadly in the provision of a 20 complete concrete manufacturing plant mobile in either direction, and which mixes, hoists, and delivers mixed concrete by the spouting, belting or any other similar system at any practical height and radius.

A further object of this invention resides in the novel manner of mounting the tower from the portable mixer, whereby the tower structure is maintained in its vertical operative position as the mixer is advanced on a given project, but may be readily collapsed or folded down to facilitate transportation of the unit or plant as a Whole from one project to another.

A still further object of this invention resides in the provision of means whereby the power plant of the mixing machine proper may be employed to move the tower to and from its vertical, operative position.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, are illustrated two complete examples of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best modes I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a concrete mixing and distributing unit or plant embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the tower lowered over the mixer for transportation of the unit;

Figure 3 is an end View of the unit with the tower lowered looking on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating the manner of moving the tower to and from its vertical, operative position;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 illustrating a slightly modified manner of elevating and lowering the tower; and

Figure 6 is a detail'view of part of the structure shown in Figure 5.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 indicates generally a concrete mixing machine of the type commonly known as a paver and which is portably mounted on a carriage by a pair of conventional creeping or self-laying traction members 6. The mixing machine comprises a frame '7 in which a mixing drum 8 is operatively mounted to be driven from a power unit 9, the drum being charged by a skip 10 pivotally mounted from the frame, as at 11. Conventional means 12 driven in any suitable manner fromthe power unit 9, are provided for raising and lowering the skip 10.

The top of the frame '7 carries an auxiliary frame 13, to one end of which a tower 14 forming part of the distributing system is hingedly connected, as at 15. The tower 14 is adapted to be raised to the vertical position of use illustrated in Figure 1, or lowered to the horizontal position over the mixer illustrated in Figure 2. When in its vertical position, the tower is held rigid with respect to the mixer by bolting or otherwise securing an extension frame 16 carried by'the tower lower end to a bracket 17 carried by the adjacent portion of the mixer frame, and by a pair of telescopically adjustable braces 18 or other suitable means. The braces 18 are connected at their upper ends with plates 19 secured to the intermediate portion of the tower and at their lower ends to the auxiliary frame 13.

The mixing machine is of snfiicient strength and its weight is so distributed as to support and balance the weight of the tower, but when the unit or plant is in operation, the tower is preferably supported directly on block 20 or the like to relieve the structure of undue strain. Obviously the blocks 20 may be replaced by jacks or if desired wheels or creeping traction units may be employed to facilitate advancement of the equipment in operation.

The tower generally is of conventional construction and comprises upright corner posts 21 connected by transverse horizontal members 22 and diagonal braces 23 and has opposed tracks 24 for guiding the movement of an elevating bucket or skip 25. The bucket or skip 25, as is customary in devices of this type, when in its lowermost position receives the mixed concrete from the mixer drum, which is discharged therefrom through a chute 26. The bucket is then elevated to discharge the batch into a receiving hopper 27 mounted at a suitable height on the tower-and provided with a discharge gate 28. Preferably the power unit 9 of the mixing machine is em ployed to raise and lower the bucket, this being accomplished by winding the lifting cable of the bucket on a drum (not shown) carried by'the mixer and driven from the power unit 9 in any conventional manner.

The receiving hopper 27 and its associated mechanism, which includes a switch 29 to trip the elevating bucket and discharge its contents into the hopper, is adjustably mountedand may be readily elevated and lowered through the medium of a cable 30. Any suitable manner of actuating the cable 30 may be employed, and if desired it may be made fast to the elevating bucket line when it is necessary to change the location of the hopper so that, with the means securing the hopper to the tower detached, raising or lowering of the bucket adjusts the position of the hopper.

Beneath the hopper and swingingly mounted for movement through an arc of substantially 180 degrees, is a chute section 31 having its receiving end directly under the discharge gate of the hopper, a boom 33 and brackets 34 and 35 adjustably secured to the tower, being provided to support the chute section 31. The discharge end of the chute section 31 supports the adjacent end of a distributing chute 3d, the end of which is movable throughout 360 degrees to enable the actual point of discharge to be varied over a considerable area. i

The hereinabove described manner of mounting the tower from the mixing machine permits the use of the power unit of the mixer for moving the tower to and from'its vertical, operative position, and in Figure 4, one method of raising and lowering the tower is diagrammatically illustrated.

When it is desired to lower the tower to its inoperative'position, the supporting brackets 34 and 35 for the chute sections and the frame stru ture carrying the receiving hopper 27 are lowered and clamped in their lowest position on the tower. The chute sections and boom 33 are then removed, leaving the hopper 27 and its attaching structure to act as a counter-balance for the upper end of the tower. fhe connection between the frame 16 at the extreme lower end of the tower and the bracket 17 is then disconnected and a block and tackle 37 is connected with a gusset 38 on the bottom of the tower and with the rear axle or any other suitable fixed part of the mixer, the block and tackle serving as a snubbing medium, as will be later described.

A cable or chain 39 is next connected with the upper portion of the tower, as at 40, and with a second block and tackle 41, the opposite end of which is secured to a suitable fixed support 42, such as a telegraph pole, tree, or any other means which will serve as an anchor.

The loading skip 10 is then raised and the lower ends of the telescopic braces 18 detached from the frame 13 and connected withthe skip, as at 43. The mixing machine is now moved in the direction of the tower keeping the line 39 taut by means of the block and tackle 41 and slacking up the snubbing line 37 and the skip brake, not shown, until the tower assumes approximately the angular position illustrated by full lines in Figure 4. With the tower in this leaning position the snubbing line 37 is tightened and the bolts or other means 44 connecting the sections of the telescopic braces 18 are removed permitting the skip to be raised. During the raising of the skip, the sections of the braces 18 are further telescoped and when the skip is in its uppermost position, the bolts or other means 44 are reinserted to again rigidly connect the brace sections.

The mixing machine is now further advanced in the direction of the tower, maintaining the line 39 taut and slacking up on the line 37 and the skip brake until the weight of the tower passes to the right of the pivot 15 with reference to the drawings, and is entirely supported by the skip. The snubbing line 37 may then be removed and further lowering of the tower accomplished by the means of the skip until the skip rests on the ground and the tower assumes the dotted line position A in Figure 4.

Just prior to the time the tower reaches the position A, a jack support 45 properly adjusted is positioned under the tower as illustrated to take the load off the skip and permit the braces 18 to be disconnected from the tower and the skip, and reconnected with the tower at plates 46 and with the skip at their intermediate points 47. With the skip thus reconnected with the tower, it is slightly raised so that the bolts in the jack support 45 may be readjusted to support the end of the tower in its lowermost position illustrated in, dotted lines B to which it is lowered by means of the skip.

The connections between the skip and the intermediate points 47 of the braces 18 are then removed and the extreme lower ends of the braces connected with brackets 48 carried by the mixer frame, as illustrated in full lines in Figure 2. The tower is thus rigidly supported in its horizontal position and if desired the brackets 34 and 35 and the receiving hopper 27 may be removed to further reduce the overall height.

In elevating the tower to its vertical, operative position, the procedure is substantially the re verse of that described.

Another manner of utilizing the power unit of the mixer to raise and lower the tower is illustrated in Figure 5. The equipment for raising and lowering the tower in this instance consists of a drum 49, see Figure 6, loosely journaled on a shaft 50 forming part of the regular mixer mechanism, and drivingly connectible therewith by means of a conventional clutch 51 splined to the shaft. The shaft 50 may be driven in either direction from a pinion or other means 52 meshed with a gear 53 secured to the shaft and a brake device 54 is provided for controlling the operation of the drum.

A cable 55 wound about the drum has an end extended therefrom and trained over idler sheaves 56, 57, 58 and 59 carried by the mixer frame and the lower end of the tower and secured to the tower. This arrangement replaces the snubbing block and tackle 37 shown in Figure 4, and also eliminates the telescopic braces 18 and the use of the skip, and as will be readily apparent raising the tower is accomplished by winding the cable 55 on the drum 49. In lowering, the brake 54 controls the unwinding of the cable and, consequently, the speed at which the tower approaches its horizontal, inoperative position. As before, a line 39 connected with the upper por tion of the tower is employed to initiate the tilting during lowering and to serve as a snubbing line during raising of the tower.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which an invention of the character described appertains, that I provide a concrete mixing and distributing unit or plant which has the advantages of a portable mixing plant such as a paver combined with the desirable features of a tower and chute system of distribution.

It will also be apparent that the tower is readily detachable from the mixing machine by merely removing the hinged connection 15 and that both the mixer and the tower may be used independent of each other, and if desired the tower may be supported on an independent tractor or other suitable traveling means.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination, a concrete mixing machine, means for distributing concrete mixed thereby including a tower, means carried by the tower for elevating and discharging the concrete, and means hingedly connecting the tower at an intermediate point with the mixing machine whereby the tower is movable as a unit from a position superimposed on said machine to a substantially vertical position, said elevating and discharging means being adjustable to the lower portion of the tower to counter-balance its upper end during movement about its hinged connection with the mixing machine.

2. In combination, a concrete mixing machine, means for distributing concrete mixed thereby including a tower, means carried by the tower for elevating concrete means hingedly connecting the intermediate portion of the tower with the mixing machine whereby the tower may be swung as a unit between a substantially vertical position juxtapose the mixing machine and an approximately horizontal position superimposed on the mixing machine, said elevating means being movable to a position below the hinge axis whereby the lower portion of the tower plus the elevating means serves as a counter-balance for the upper end portion of the tower during raising and lowering thereof, and means for moving the tower.

3. In a device to mix and distribute concrete, a carriage, a concrete mixer mounted on said carriage, a power unit for the device mounted on said carriage, a frame mounted on said carriage, a tower pivotally connected to said frame intermediate the ends of said tower, the tower being adapted to occupy a vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position, the center of gravity of said tower lying above said pivotal point when said tower is in a vertical position, means to partially counterbalance the excess weight above said pivotal point when raising or lowering said tower and means connected to the bottom of said tower and operative by said power unit to raise and lower the tower.

4. In a device to mix and distribute concrete, a movable carriage member, a frame mounted on said carriage member, a concrete mixer mounted on said carriage member, power means on said carriage member to operate said device, a tower pivotally mounted on said frame and adapted to move about said pivotal point to a vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position, said point being located intermediate the ends of said movable section, means connected to the bottom of said tower and to said power means for raising and lowering said tower, and means to partially compensate for the excess of weight on one side of said pivot.

5. In a combined concrete mixer and tower, a carriage, a concrete mixer mounted on said carriage, a frame mounted on said carriage, a tower pivotally connected to said frame intermediate the ends of said tower, the tower being adapted to occupy a vertical operative position and a horizontal inoperative position superimposed on said mixer, the center of gravity of said tower lying above said pivotal point when said tower is in a vertical position means carried by the tower beneath the pivotal point to partially counterbalance the excess weight above said pivotal point when raising or lowering said tower, and means to raise and lower said tower.

6. In a device to mix and distribute concrete, a portable mixing apparatusincluding a frame, a tower, a hinge connection between the top portion of the frame and an intermediate portion of the tower, whereby the tower is swingable from a substantially horizontal position disposed over the mixing apparatus to an upright operative position with its lower end resting upon the ground, an elevator bucket carried by the tower and movable from a lowered position beneath the hinge connection to any elevation for elevating concrete from the mixing apparatus, and a hopper adjustably mounted on the tower to be located at any position along the height of the tower and adapted to receive the concrete elevated by the bucket, said hopper and bucket when in a position on the tower entirely beneath the hinge connection counterbalancing the upper end of the tower during its swinging movement to and from raised and lowered positions.

7. In combination, a portable concrete mixing apparatus including a frame, a tower adapted to be supported directly on the ground adjacent the discharge end of the mixing apparatus, means to hingedly connect the tower with the upper portion of the frame of the mixing apparatus whereby a substantial portion of the tower extends beneath said hinge connection, the hinge connection enabling the tower to be moved from an upright position resting upon the ground to a substantially horizontal position superimposed over the mixing apparatus, means to raise and lower the tower about its hinge con nection with the frame of the mixing apparatus, and means carried by the tower and movable to the lower portion thereof beneath the hinge connection when the tower is upright to counterbalance its upper end during raising and lowering of the tower.

FREDERIC E. BAGER. 

